Palin at NRA Convention: 'Future of Freedom' at Stake

Speaking at the NRA convention in Houston on May 3, former Governor Sarah Palin said the fight to protect the Second Amendment is a battle that must be rigorously undertaken because “this is a fight for the constitution, this is a fight for the future of freedom.”

Palin said those against freedom in this battle “tend to go by acronyms–CBS, ABC, MSNBC, and NYT.” She mocked how these and other media members criticized George W. Bush endlessly any time a photo of 9/11 was included in a campaign ad or commercial; they “cried that he was exploiting tragedy for political gain.” Yet Palin said “that same media is now the reliable, poodle-skirted cheerleader for a president who writes the book on exploiting tragedy.”

She reference how Obama flew “grieving” Newtown parents on Air Force One, “making them backdrops in his perpetual campaign-style presidency.”

Palin then spoke of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), blasting them for trying to keep the raw emotion of the Sandy Hook shooting alive for political gain:

But what these gals won’t tell you is that emotion won’t make anybody safer. Emotion won’t protect the good guy’s rights. And emotion is not leadership. The politics of emotion is the opposite of leadership. It’s the manipulation of the people by the politicians for their own political ends.

Palin said their actions are an example of what we get when we separate freedom and morality in our nation, an example of how politicians have embraced this divide because it makes it easier to push their agenda. She said our Founding Fathers knew freedom and morality were two sides of the same coin; without one, the other falters.

She quoted the late Margaret Thatcher: “Freedom will destroy itself if it is not exercised within some sort of moral framework.”

She said the absence of this moral framework–or the refusal to maintain it in Washington–has given us politicians who push for easy answers. They seek to “violate our 2nd Amendment rights” and never stop to ask those who “are hiding behind the 1st Amendment to act more responsibly.”

Looking out over the crowd of NRA members and attendees, Palin said: “As the mother of a combat vet. As an independent Alaskan. As a lifetime member of the NRA, and as an American. This fight is about what kind of people we are.” She said she wants her little son Trig to grow up in a country that remains “exceptional”–a country that is “strong, and good, and decent, and free.”

As she closed, Palin said, “This is a good fight and I’m proud to be part of it.”